10 Timeless Midcentury-Modern Homes

It’s been more than five decades since its heyday, yet we still love midcentury modern.

Perhaps it’s the massive amount of windows, the post-and-beam constructions, the clever layouts that harmonize indoor and outdoor spaces, or the striking furniture that has us hooked. Or perhaps it’s simply because so many elements of midcentury modern are still so relevant to 21st-century living.

If you appreciate this era as much as we do, take a look at some of our favorite midcentury-modern homes that we've featured in the past.

Renovation of the Feldman House in Southwest Portland

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design, with project manager and lead designer Emily Kudsen Leland at the helm, remade a 1956 Portland abode with a crisp paint palette. The living room sports a panoply of wood: Douglas fir for the ceiling, hemlock for the walls, and stained oak for the floor. The sofa is the Neo model by Bensen and the rug is vintage.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design, with project manager and lead designer Emily Kudsen Leland at the helm, remade a 1956 Portland abode with a crisp paint palette. The living room sports a panoply of wood: Douglas fir for the ceiling, hemlock for the walls, and stained oak for the floor. The sofa is the Neo model by Bensen and the rug is vintage.

This 1950s Joseph Esherick home in Berkeley, California, has a T-shaped layout and Japanese-inspired shingling that’s typical of the buildings in this part of Berkeley.

This 1950s Joseph Esherick home in Berkeley, California, has a T-shaped layout and Japanese-inspired shingling that’s typical of the buildings in this part of Berkeley.

Designed by architect Jonathan Bowman in 1957, this remodeled ranch house in Austin, Texas, stays true to its midcentury heritage with a modular 620 Chair Program from Dieter Rams, Artemide’s classic Tolomeo floor lamp, and a Portofino Bergère chair designed by Rodolfo Dordoni for Minotti.

Designed by architect Jonathan Bowman in 1957, this remodeled ranch house in Austin, Texas, stays true to its midcentury heritage with a modular 620 Chair Program from Dieter Rams, Artemide’s classic Tolomeo floor lamp, and a Portofino Bergère chair designed by Rodolfo Dordoni for Minotti.

Denver’s most recognized midcentury-modern cluster, Arapahoe Acres, is an area known for its Usonian and International Style houses by developer Edward B. Hawkins and architects Eugene Sternberg and Joseph G. The stunning remodel of this particular Edward B. Hawkins house has sliding glass walls that open to amazing outdoor spaces. 

Denver’s most recognized midcentury-modern cluster, Arapahoe Acres, is an area known for its Usonian and International Style houses by developer Edward B. Hawkins and architects Eugene Sternberg and Joseph G. The stunning remodel of this particular Edward B. Hawkins house has sliding glass walls that open to amazing outdoor spaces. 

Standing on stilts 60 feet above a canyon on Mullholland Drive in Los Angeles, the iconic Garcia House was created by John Lautner in 1962.

Standing on stilts 60 feet above a canyon on Mullholland Drive in Los Angeles, the iconic Garcia House was created by John Lautner in 1962.

At 2,435 square feet, this H-shaped Eichler designed by Claude Oakland around 1969 is much larger than earlier models.

At 2,435 square feet, this H-shaped Eichler designed by Claude Oakland around 1969 is much larger than earlier models.

Designed in 1953 by Frederic Lasserre, the first director of the UBS School of Architecture, the Friedman House in Vancouver, Canada, was rescued and restored by Ottawa-based tech entrepreneur Cody Fauser and his wife Maria Urbina-Fauser. 

Designed in 1953 by Frederic Lasserre, the first director of the UBS School of Architecture, the Friedman House in Vancouver, Canada, was rescued and restored by Ottawa-based tech entrepreneur Cody Fauser and his wife Maria Urbina-Fauser. 

In Situ Studio modernized this 3,400-square-foot home in Raleigh, North Carolina, while preserving its 1959 midcentury roots.

In Situ Studio modernized this 3,400-square-foot home in Raleigh, North Carolina, while preserving its 1959 midcentury roots.

This Orange County Eichler, built in 1962, celebrates the indoor/outdoor, Southern California lifestyle with a skylight atrium, outdoor pool, and plenty of floor-to-ceiling windows.

This Orange County Eichler, built in 1962, celebrates the indoor/outdoor, Southern California lifestyle with a skylight atrium, outdoor pool, and plenty of floor-to-ceiling windows.

In 1958, architect Emil Tessin designed the Frost House, a midcentury, steel-frame prefab with bold colors, a powerful geometric form, and interiors by Knoll and Paul McCobb.

In 1958, architect Emil Tessin designed the Frost House, a midcentury, steel-frame prefab with bold colors, a powerful geometric form, and interiors by Knoll and Paul McCobb.

Michele Koh Morollo
Dwell Contributor
Michele Koh Morollo is a journalist who has been writing about design, lifestyle and travel for the last twenty years.

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